I got a note in my e-mail that Marshall Fritz of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State passed away on election day.
I met Fritz several years ago when I was at the Cato Institute. He was there to lecture us for not being libertarian enough. We went at it a little and e-mailed occasionally after that.
After he read one of my studies and some of my articles he wrote me a very kind e-mail telling me what a great writer and thinker I was. His one regret is that I was wrong in accepting that there was a legitimate role for government in education.
CJL
Dear Friends of the Alliance:
Marshall Fritz passed away Tuesday, November 4, 2008, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Marshall was a true friend and mentor. That's what he's been to me. Even during the last days of his life, when I was privileged to spend some time with him, he set an example of a life well-lived and considered.
Like a good teacher, he always showed his love for people by not letting us get away with fuzzy thinking. At the same time, like a good friend, he would try to give anyone a chance.
More than anything else, Marshall was a man devoted to truth and goodness. He stood fast on principle, solid as the rock he often seemed when those around him wavered or doubted.
As a friend, Marshall's hope for all of us is that we will also stand firm in uncertain times, boldly living out and defending the principles that we know are good and true and beautiful.
And now, I say to Marshall, as he would often say to those he cared about:
"Goodbye, my friend."
Alan Schaeffer
President
Alliance for the Separation of School and State
